Chapter 1

The pack hall fell silent as Alpha Sincere Armstrong's voice boomed across the assembled wolves. I pressed myself deeper into the shadows near the back wall, my fingers gripping the rough stone as his words cut through me like silver blades.

"My chosen mate, Rosalie Butler, will arrive this evening," Sincere announced, his chest puffed with pride. "She possesses the qualities a true Luna should have—loyalty, grace, and the strength to stand beside an Alpha."

Each word was a deliberate strike. His dark eyes swept across the pack members, lingering on the faces that nodded in approval, but never once did his gaze find mine. I might as well have been invisible, a ghost haunting the edges of his grand proclamation.

Willow stirred restlessly in my mind, her voice barely a whisper. *He speaks of loyalty while betraying the mate bond the Moon Goddess blessed him with.*

I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and slipped out through the side door before anyone could notice. The cool evening air hit my face, but it did nothing to ease the suffocating weight in my chest. Six years. Six years of this humiliation, and now he was making it official.

My feet carried me automatically to the greenhouse, the one place in this pack territory where I could breathe. The glass structure sat nestled behind the healer's quarters, filled with medicinal herbs that had become my sanctuary. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of lavender, chamomile, and healing mint—a stark contrast to the oppressive pine and burnt wood aroma that clung to Sincere wherever he went.

I moved between the rows of plants, my hands working automatically as I checked soil moisture and pruned dead leaves. This was my purpose here, the one contribution Sincere allowed me to make. At least the healer, old Martha, appreciated my work, even if she dared not say so openly.

That's when I saw it.

In the far corner, where the moonlight streamed through the glass panels, a single moonflower had bloomed. My breath caught in my throat. These rare flowers only opened under the full moon, and according to pack lore, they were a sign from the Moon Goddess herself—a promise of change, of new beginnings.

I approached it slowly, as if sudden movement might make it disappear. The petals were pure white, almost luminescent in the moonlight, and as I leaned closer, I caught the faintest scent of rain-soaked earth and hope.

Willow's voice grew stronger, more urgent than I'd heard her in years. *The Goddess has not forgotten us, Christina. This flower... it's a message. Change is coming.*

"Is it?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "Because I don't know how much more I can take."

*You are stronger than you know. The bond that chains us is not true—it's poison masquerading as fate. But our real mate...*

"Don't." I cut her off, pressing my palms against my temples. "Don't give me false hope. There is no one else. There's only survival."

But even as I said the words, something shifted inside me. The moonflower seemed to pulse with its own inner light, and for the first time in years, I felt a spark of something I'd almost forgotten—defiance.

The greenhouse door creaked open behind me. "Christina!" Sincere's voice cracked like a whip. "Where the hell are you?"

I turned slowly, schooling my expression into the mask of submission I'd perfected. "I'm here, Alpha."

He filled the doorway, his massive frame blocking out the stars. Behind him stood a woman with perfectly styled blonde hair and cold blue eyes—Rosalie Butler. She looked exactly as I remembered from high school, beautiful and calculating, her smile sharp as a blade.

"There you are," Sincere said, his tone dripping with disdain. "Rosalie has arrived, and you need to prepare the guest room. The one next to the master bedroom."

Of course. He wanted to parade his chosen mate right under my nose, to make sure I heard every laugh, every whispered endearment through the thin walls.

"Yes, Alpha," I replied quietly.

Rosalie stepped forward, her heels clicking on the greenhouse floor. "Christina," she purred, her voice honey-sweet and venomous. "How... quaint to find you here among the weeds. Some things never change, do they?"

I met her gaze steadily. "The guest room will be ready within the hour."

As I moved to leave, I caught one last glimpse of the moonflower over my shoulder. Its petals seemed to whisper a promise in the moonlight—this was not the end of my story. It was the beginning of something new.

Willow's voice echoed softly in my mind as we walked back toward the pack house: *Soon, sister. Soon we will be free.*